House buried in Tennessee coal ash flood

We knew this was coming. After the drama this past winter we knew it was likely that the House had something else up their sleeves. Now this.

To break it down, both the Senate and the House must consider appropriations bills (that fund government agencies) and the House is up first. There are all types of anti-environmental goodies contained in this legislation. Coal ash is addressed in Section 434:

None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the Environmental Protection Agency to develop, propose, finalize, implement, administer, or enforce any regulation that identifies or lists fossil fuel combustion waste as hazardous waste subject to regulation under subtitle C of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6921 et seq.) or otherwise makes fossil fuel combustion waste subject to regulation under such subtitle. 

In other words, this section eliminates the EPA’s ability to use funds to move forward with classifying coal ash under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and establishing an enforceable federal rule.    

Need we remind you the toxic nature of coal ash. Coal ash contains dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium and selenium. For our elected leaders to stand in the way of these much-needed health protections is a travesty.

Our only hope is that the Senate votes for public health and not for industry profit.